Saturday, July 8, 2017

Week 74: Feliz dia del amor y la amistad!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! :) I hope that it is filled with love and happiness, and that you each remember how much I love you. :)

Wow, this week was full of miracles. I think I say that every week, but it's still true. :)

I made a rookie mistake on Sunday and asked someone for dinner, while my companion was talking to someone else, asking for dinner, and we set up dinner for the same night... So long story short, we had 3 scheduled dinners in 1 night. That was crazy, but we had some good authentic Hispanic food. Plus one was super nice, and just let us take it to go, so we only wound up having two. But portion sizes are real my friends, and I was just fine. :)

This week we were able to teach Micaela's daughter about God's love. I absolutely adore the fact that the first thing that we teach people is about their divine identity, and a divine, loving father. Is there anything else that we would rather teach? I love sharing God's love with people.

Thursday was amazing. Seriously, one of the most Spirit filled days on my mission. We went on exchanges as a zone, and I went to the North area of Mission Viejo with Hermana Smith, who came into the mission field with me. We had some great studies in the morning, then just went out and worked. It was so good. We went by a house, where a man they had met at a service project lived. He invited us in, and we began to talk with them. We were able to teach some things, and then they started talking about their daughter who had passed away. As soon as I heard them talk about that, I knew that it was the reason why I was in that particular area that day. God had been preparing me through my experiences, to help this family. I was able to testify of eternal families, and share with them the love of God, and let them know that they were going to have their daughter again. It was truly amazing.

We visited with a lot of people this week, and saw a lot of miracles.

We had a Sisters Conference this past Friday, and it was so wonderful. We talked a lot about thoughts, and about how our whole lives begin with how we think about things. I think what I learned the most was that whether we are happy or sad in our circumstances depends on what we are thinking as we go through them. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned that to make each day more meaningful, more spirit-filled, and simply happier, we must think the thoughts that Christ would think. If we want to be like Christ, we must do as He would do. When we are doing as Christ would do, that is when we truly are happy. It was really neat to think about.

I don't have much time left, but I want to leave you with my testimony. Missionary work is the best thing in the world. Here on my mission, I have truly come to understand what the Atonement of Jesus Christ means. I have been so blessed in being able to see others come closer to Jesus Christ and accept his atonement. I have been able to teach people from all walks of life, and probably one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that God loves all of them. Every single one, without exception. He sees our potential, even when we don't. He never forgets us, and puts others in our path so that we can come closer to him. That's all he wants. His sole purpose is to help us be happy. In Moses we learn that God's purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We also know that "men are that they might have joy." I have realized that when you put the two together, that God's purpose is to help us have joy. How do we get true joy? Returning to live with our Heavenly Father, and helping others do the same. That's why I'm here on my mission. So that others can have the joy I have felt in my life. It would be so selfish of me to not share it. I love this Gospel, and I know it to be true. I know that families are truly eternal, and that this life is only a glimpse of what is to come. I love my Savior, and I'm so grateful for Him, and his example.

I love you all, and I hope you all have an amazing week. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.